The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) prestigious ENERGY STAR is the national symbol for protecting the environment through superior energy efficiency.

Receiving the ENERGY STAR award signifies that the building performs in the top 25 percent of similar facilities nationwide for energy efficiency.

“In these tight economic times, it is more important than ever that we, as a district, be wise in our energy consumption and in our finances,” said Supt. Marvin Moore. “This report concerning the awarding of ENERGY STAR awards to two of our schools demonstrates that our investment into our district’s energy future has had a positive impact both financially and environmentally.”

To earn the ENERGY STAR awards, Rowan County Schools worked with Harshaw Trane to update facilities by replacing the HVAC system at RCSHS, integrating the HVAC building automation system, addressing maintenance and reliability issues of HVAC, implementing a sustainability program to ensure optimal building efficiency and performance, and participating in an annual measurement and verification and training program.

“The Rowan County Board of Education made a commitment six years ago to energy efficiency by completing a guaranteed energy services project with Harshaw Trane,” said Johnson. “Not only did they have the vision to invest in the infrastructure upgrades to make their buildings energy efficient, but they also are utilizing innovative programs like Harshaw Trane’s Intelligent Services to sustain their investment while maximizing their energy savings.”

He added, “These energy savings dollars are dollars that have been redirected into the classrooms to better serve the students and faculty of Rowan County Schools.”

Since 2010, Rowan County Schools has saved $560,000 due energy costs savings.

The district is on track to save between $90,000 and $100,000 this year.

“This success wouldn’t be possible without our partnership with the district,” said Johnson. “This is money the district will be able to reinvest in the future of their students.”

Harshaw Trane is headquartered in Louisville and has offices in Lexington and Bowling Green, and Evansville, Indiana.

Mayor Jim Tom Trent signed a proclamation during the October Morehead-Rowan County Chamber of Commerce meeting declaring the month as National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Several members of the Gateway Coalition for Workforce Diversity were present for the signing. (Photo by Megan Smedley)

Mayor Jim Tom Trent signed a proclamation on Thursday, Oct. 5, in honor of National Disability Employment Awareness Month.

National Employment Awareness Month dates back to 1945 when Congress declared the first week in October to encourage employment of people with disabilities.

This year’s theme is “Inclusion Drives Innovation,” and celebrates the contributions of workers with disabilities and educates about the value of a workforce inclusive of their skills and talents.

Paul Hitchcock, general manager at MSPR, is an employer of a person with disabilities, but is also the father of a person with a disability who is working in the community.

“It’s great and I’d recommend the supportive employment program to any business. It is a process matching individuals with jobs, but the rewards go beyond putting someone to work. You are changing lives,” he said.

Hitchcock’s daughter is employed by a local day care.

“This has made such a positive impact on my daughter’s life. Supportive employment has improved her self-esteem, expanded social abilities and overall, gave her purpose and opportunities she wouldn’t have otherwise,” he said.

The Gateway Coalition for Workforce Diversity was formed in January of this year to develop collaboration between employers, employment service providers, and job seekers.

There are similar coalitions in Louisville and Lexington.

“It was truly my honor to sign the National Disability Employment Awareness proclamation for the month of October,” says Trent. “The Gateway Coalition for Workforce Diversity is a great program for our area. The opportunities they create for an under utilized segment of our society helps both the employee and the employer by adding great quality, reliability, and work ethic to our workforce. The City of Morehead is proud to support their efforts going forward.”

Customized employment is a process designed to personalize employment relationships between an employer and an employee so that both individuals have their needs met, and is a strategy often used by employment service providers.

It’s nearing the end of October which means anticipation is running rampant among area youth regarding upcoming Halloween festivities.

Thousands will take to the streets of Rowan County next week hoping to fill their bag with goodies from community residents.

Trick-or-Treat in Rowan County is set for Tuesday, Oct. 31, from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m.

Another treat fest, “Just Say Boo to Drugs,” will also be that Tuesday at the Laughlin Health Building on Morehead State University’s campus from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m.

In the event’s seventh year, it will feature more than 80 businesses and organizations distributing Halloween candy and gifts to more than 1,000 kids.

“We are confident it’s going to be bigger and better than last year,” said Jeff Fannin, event organizer. “We are adding a few more events for the kids and we know some of the businesses will be going all out this year.”

The event is an alternative to door-to-door trick-or-treating that provides children valuable information on the dangers of drug use.

“The kids are our main priority, especially their safety,” said Fannin. “We started this years ago so everyone is more comfortable with this holiday. You know the kids are going to get safe candy in a safe atmosphere.”

Bouncy houses will be available at no charge for the kids after they have gathered their treats.

MSU’s dance team and cheerleaders will be on-site performing to entertain trick-or-treaters while they wait in line.

Fannin said this year a special emphasis has been made on making sure the line moves quickly and efficiently.

Those hoping to distribute treats are asked to be at the site by 5 p.m. to set up tables and decorations. Tables are not to exceed 8 feet long. Clean-up afterwards is also expected.

Gifts should be appropriate for children up to 12 years of age.

To register as a community group, Fannin asks you contact him as soon as possible at Good Shepherd’s Printing on West Main Street or via telephone.

You can also contact Tracy Williams with the Morehead-Rowan County Chamber of Commerce by email with the name of the group, a contact person and phone number and any additional information to tcwilliams@moreheadchamber.com.

“This is a perfect opportunity to showcase your business, organization or church, while we give back to the community and most of all, let the kids know to just say ‘boo’ to drugs,” said Jeff Fannin, event organizer.

Just Say Boo is sponsored by Bluebank First Church of God, the Morehead-Rowan County Chamber of Commerce and MSU.

A new housing development in southwest Morehead is expected to bring 48 living units to the area by the end of 2018.

Steve Williams, with Southfork General Management, LLC, is bringing houses, duplexes, and townhouses to Lockegee Estates, located behind Save-A-Lot off KY 519.

“I recognized there was a need for quality housing in Morehead,” Williams said. “With that, we wanted to make sure we developed quality housing with multiple different choices for residents that is affordable on nearly any budget.”

Williams, who will renting the residences, said the homes will come in three phases divided into 16 units each. Phase 1 will be complete in early August, with Phase 2 ending Spring 2018, and Phase 3 in Fall 2018.

“We are developing special units that are perfect for someone who prefers to live alone, or even a couple that is wanting to share a room,”

Williams said.

“We also raised the property two feet above the FEMA’s flood requirements,” Williams said. “That area was raised prior to us raising it even further and it never flooded before. I have no worries about that moving forward.”

Parking for the homes will be in front of the residences.

“We wanted to develop property that people would know is structurally sound, in town, yet affordable. That’s what we’ve done,” Williams said. “There are limited spaces and inquiries are already coming in.”

Williams added he plans to develop 100 to 150 more housing units in Rowan County over the next two years.

To contact Lockegee Estates, call 784-2107.

Brad Stacy can be reached at bstacy@themoreheadnews.com or by telephone at 784-4116.

When most people hear the word aerospace it brings to mind enormous rockets firing upward from launch pads in places such as Florida or California.

Aerospace brings to mind astronauts and space shuttles, moon landings, and amazing photographs that could never be captured within the confines of the Earth’s atmosphere.

It is that, but it is also much more.

Stewart Ditto, the executive director of the Kentucky Aerospace Industry Consortium, spoke last Wednesday at the IF Aerospace Event at Morehead State University and stressed the need for educating the public on the many ways that the Aerospace Industry has impacted the country and the state.

“Even when I talk to people in Kentucky, there is this look of wonderment and surprise that we have this (aerospace industry) going on in the state.”

Ditto added over the last five years, aerospace exports have increased over 145 percent. And Kentucky is now the No. 2 aerospace state in the nation.

The impact of aerospace and related industries has been enormous. This led to House Joint Resolution 100, put together by State Rep. Rocky Adkins, which mandated the study of the Aerospace, Aviation, and Defense Industry, of which Ditto was the project manager.

The challenge now, Ditto says, is to “map out” the “who, where, when, and why” of the current industry and determine the best direction to proceed. The goal is to determine those businesses involved in aerospace and create a website that will allow for integration — and availability — of information.

“It’s about promoting awareness and understanding,” Ditto said. “If we don’t understand what we have in our own state, then how can we expect to promote that externally and help it grow?”

Ditto said the result should bring all of the different pieces together and make a seamless pipeline of education, private business, and government. An integral part is the Space Science Center on campus at Morehead.

Morehead’s Space Science Program has been both a pioneering force and instrumental in the growth of the aerospace industry in Kentucky. What began with Dr. Benjamin Malphrus’s astrophysics class gathered steam (and qualified personnel) and grew into what it is today — and what it will become tomorrow. One of the qualified personnel is Staff Electrical Engineer Jeffrey A. Kruth. His wealth of experience and insight both literally and figuratively helped bring Dr. Malphrus’s vision into reality.

Malphrus and Kruth partnered to bring Morehead State University’s radio antenna up to an effective level, facing the challenges of securing financing for the needed hardware, and in some cases building their own.

But from the beginning Kruth was impressed with Morehead, especially the students. “I started coming here to Kentucky, and I met some of the brightest kids,” Kruth said. “In most programs you have graduate students doing all of the cool stuff. But when Ben started this program he didn’t have any graduate students.”

It was the undergraduates, Kruth said, who were doing all of the heavy lifting. These students were writing papers for journals and doing ‘real things’ with an antiquated Hercules antenna. From this core of bright, hard-working students the program grew and achieved national and international attention. And their successes yielded an honor that no other independent entity has achieved to date: Morehead State University’s Space Science Program has joined the Deep Space Network.

The Space Science Center has become something of a microcosm of the aerospace and aviation field, and an excellent place to begin learning about the industry.

Adkins has long been a supporter of aerospace/aviation, and said he firmly believes the opportunities for education, business, and statewide improvement are limitless. Adkins said what the students at Morehead’s Space Science Center are involved in is nothing short of history-making.

In December when Congress passed the 21st Century Cures Act, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called it an important step in helping foster solutions for heartbreaking illnesses like addiction.

Last week, the federal government took another important step in the fight against the drug epidemic by announcing $485 million in grants to help states and territories combat opioid addiction.

“Opioids were responsible for more than 33,000 deaths in 2015, this alarming statistic is unacceptable to me,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price in a release. “We cannot continue to lose our nation’s citizens to addiction. Through a sustained focus on people, patients, and partnerships, I am confident that together we can turn the tide on this public health crisis.”

The Cures Act authorized $1 billion in funding for state grants to address the opioid epidemic over two years. Kentucky will receive nearly $10.5 million during this round of funding.

Two rounds of funding is provided for in the Cures Act and this round will be provided through the State Targeted Response to the Opioid Crisis Grants administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), according to an HHS release.

Doug Hogan, spokesperson for the state cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS), said the Kentucky Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities (BHDID) is the lead state agency on the project.

“Priority populations we hope to impact include pregnant and parenting women with an opioid abuse disorder; incarcerated individuals with opioid abuse disorder who are re-entering the community; and individuals treated for an overdose in Emergency Room settings,” Hogan said in a statement to The Register. “Additionally, these funds will help us implement strategies for preventing opioid abuse and overdoses; practices for opioid abuse treatment — particularly Medication Assisted Treatment; and increased access to treatment and recovery support services.”

Hogan noted the state was notified earlier in the year of the funding opportunity. It gathered input from community mental health centers and providers before submitting its grant proposal.

McConnell said the funding will be welcome news to those in Kentucky and across the county working to firth opioid abuse.

“The implementation of the 21st Century Cures bill, bipartisan legislation that I helped shepherd through the Senate, will bolster medical innovation by promoting critical investments in research and treatment development,” said McConnell in a statement. “It also puts patients first and helps strengthen the kind of research and treatments needed to cure the most devastating diseases.”

In addition to providing funding to fight the drug epidemic, the Cures Act will provide nearly $5 billion over the next several years to the National Institutes of Heath for research into genetic, lifestyle and environmental variations of disease. It will also improve and strengthen America’s mental health system, strengthen pediatric and high risk/high reward medical research and support a “Eureka Prize Competition” to foster research that could realize significant advancements in health outcomes and disease treatments.

“Kentucky has been particularly hard hit by the opioid and drug addiction crisis,” said Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky, in a statement to The Register. “While no single program or grant will solve this epidemic, these funds will help Kentucky fight back. I am proud to have voted for the 21st Century Cures Act which made this funding possible, and I remain committed to doing more to prevent drug addiction and to help more Kentuckians recover.”

During a recent visit to Morehead, Mid-East Antrim Mayor Audrey Wales, who represents Morehead’s sister city of Bellymena, Northern Ireland, and her husband, Chris, saw some of the wonderful things that Morehead has to offer.

This included live music from local talent at Pasquales, the Kentucky Center for Traditional Music and Harold White Lumber.

Wales also met with Deputy Judge-Executive Lincoln Caudill to discuss differences between Kentucky governments and government in Northern Ireland.

Before departing, Wales had breakfast with Mayor Jim Tom Trent, Bob Helton, and Steve Barker, as well as Helton’s wife, Vivian, and Barker’s wife, Carol. At the meeting, the group discussed economic policies in both Morehead and Northern Ireland.